When selecting a rental car at large US facilities like the Hertz LAX or Phoenix locations, I tend to do a quick tour around the entire site to see what is parked up, making mental note of particular cars that pique my interest, before then going to find out if they are available or not. Sometimes something stands out, not just because it is on my always long list of models that I still want to try but also because of its colour. That was certainly the case for the test car here, whose bright orange paintwork (Sunshine Orange in Subaru speak) was a welcome contrast to the sea of white, grey, silver and black cars that constitute most of the US rental fleets. It was parked in an area where I could not just grab it, so I had to go and ask, but pleasingly, it was indeed available, so I took it, feeling pleased that I had actually scored a Subaru (they are pretty rare in the US fleets, certainly in the South West) and an orange car. It was the last day of the holiday, so my time with it would be a little shorter than usual, due to the need to be back at the airport late afternoon, in time for my flight home.

In Europe this car is still known as the XV, but for American buyers the name has changed from being the XV Crosstrek to now being known simply as Crosstrek. Although Subaru would like you to think of this as a standalone model in their range, it is in reality a very close relative of the Impreza hatch, and indeed its origins date back to the time when there was a car called the Impreza-based Outback Sport, which was a toughened up looking Impreza with raised ride height and ground clearance and lower body cladding. That in essence is what distinguishes a Crosstrek from an Impreza these days. The second generation model deviated little in concept from the first. Launched at the 2017 Geneva Show, several months before the arrival of the related Impreza models, the most significant changes were ones you could not see, with the Crosstrek moving to the Subaru Global Platform, which has gone on to underpin all the models in the range apart from the BRZ sports car. The styling of the car has a clear link to its predecessor but the interior underwent a fairly significant upgrade with higher quality materials being used and a whole raft of technology features were added, most of them needed simply to keep up with market trends. US market sales started late in 2017 as a 2018 model year car.

The Crosstrek is started using a conventional key, an increasing rarity in cars of any class these days. The engine in all US market Crosstrek models is a 2 litre horizontally opposed four cylinder unit, putting out just 152 bhp. That figure may seem to be about average for this size of car, but the Subaru is not that light and in reality, it really does prove to be enough. The distinctive sound that one characterised a Subaru is largely gone, sadly and now all you get is something of a drone-type noise even on modest acceleration. To make progress you will need more than modest acceleration, as this really is not a rapid car. And when you work the engine hard, it is noisy and a bit thrashy sounding. A six speed manual is standard in most Crosstrek models, but the test car had the optional automatic, which is a CVT. It proved to be better than some of its ilk, but these transmissions rarely offer a more relaxed or refined experience than one with defined gears, despite what the makers say about the car theoretically always being at the optimum gear ratio. There were paddles on the wheel, but whether you would really bother with these is highly questionable. Surprisingly, considering how hard I had to work the engine on hills and to get meaningful acceleration, fuel economy was pretty good. I covered 142 miles in my time with the Crosstrek and put in 4.1 gallons before returning it, which works out at 34.63 mpg US or 41.38 mpg Imperial. There is a Stop/Start system, though this had little benefit in my case as I was not much in traffic during my time with the car.

The Crosstrek’s party piece is ability to traverse rough terrain, something I did not test in my time with the car, not least because the rental contract has terms that could get you into trouble if you do, the raised ride height means that there is 8.7” of ground clearance and that all-wheel drive system means that you should be able to keep going even with things get slippery. If you need that, then the only alternative to a Crosstrek is an SUV, which has added bulk and weight. If you don’t need this, though, then the Crosstrek has to be assessed like any other car. and here the car scores less well. In general, I would describe the Crosstrek as rather “ordinary” to drive. The steering is quite well weighted but there is not much feel to it. There is quite a lot of understeer but not much body roll and the standard all-wheel drive system means that there is plenty of grip. This version came on 225/60 R17 tyres and the ride was well judged, feeling neither too firm nor to soft and squashy. There were no issues with the brakes, which worked well. There is a conventional pull-up handbrake fitted between the seats. Visibility all round is generally good. Subaru have long focused on safety features and this Crosstrek has an extensive list of items, most of which do indeed make the driver and occupants feel reassured.

Subaru have made a big effort in recent years to up the perceived quality of the Interiors of their cars, and the results, as seen in this Crosstrek are now actually pretty decent. There are plenty of soft touch materials used and the orange stitching provided some welcome colour contrast to stop it all looking quite so sombre. There are two large dials in the instrument cluster for speedometer and rev counter, with a bar chart style fuel gauge set between them. The trip computer display is in a separate unit in its own pod mounted high on the top of the dash. Most of the controls are pretty simple to use. There are twin column stalks for indicators, wipers and lights and quite an array of buttons on the steering wheel hub for audio repeater, cruise control and selecting trip displays. There is an integrated colour touch screen for the infotainment system which Subaru calls StarLink. In this model, the features are relatively limited, but it does include XM satellite radio as well as Apple Car Play and Android Auto. Large fonts, high-resolution screens and simple button structures help to make the system among the easier ones to use. Sound quality from the audio system was decent enough. Beneath the unit are controls for the simple air conditioning system. One of the central air vents is very close to where your hand is on the steering wheel, so you can easily freeze your knuckles if you are chilling the rest of the cabin – not ideal.

Limited trim means that you get cloth upholstery, but this was made rather more colourful in the test car with its orange stitching. Adjustment is all manual, but there is quite a wide range of movement, and combined with the telescoping wheel, I found it easy to get the driving position that suited my proportions. Seat heating features, which will be appreciated by those who live in the snow belt, where a lot of these Subarus will be sold.

The rear seats of the Crosstrek are really quite roomy for what is not a particularly large car with headroom in particular being generous. Subaru clearly intend this to be a five seater car as there is a middle seat belt which is mounted on the roof – an ugly and less than convenient solution especially when you fold the rear seats down. An occupant in the middle seat may find that there really is not quite enough of the car to be truly comfortable. There is a single map pocked on the back of the front seats and some small door pockets.

Although crossover style rivals offer more space, largely thanks to their height advantage, the boot is a reasonable size, regular in shape and there is a load cover to protect the contents from prying eyes. More space is created by dropping down the asymmetrically split rear seat backrests and the resulting load platform is flat. Inside the cabin there is a good sized glovebox, a stowage recess in front of the gearlever, a small armrest cubby and some modestly sized door bins.

The 2020 Subaru Crosstrek is offered in three trim levels: Base, Premium and Limited. All Crosstreks come standard with all-wheel drive and are powered by the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with the rather meagre 152 bhp. Base and Premium trims come standard with a six-speed manual transmission with an optional CVT automatic, which is the only transmission offered on the top-of-the-line Limited. The Base trim level is equipped with a respectable amount of standard features, including 17-inch wheels, roof rails, a 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. Stepping up to the Premium adds niceties such as heated front seats, an extra USB port for front passengers, foglights, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. For both of these trims, Subaru pads on its suite of advanced driver safety aids (EyeSight) when you select the CVT automatic. A few extra features are also available for the Premium. Want a loaded-up model? The top-of-the-range Limited comes with leather seats, keyless entry and ignition, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment screen, and even more safety features. Optional extras with this trim include a sunroof, a premium audio system and navigation.

It’s not hard to see why people (in America) buy the Crosstrek, with sales that are nearly as strong as those of the larger Forester and Outback models, as if you want a car that can cope with bad weather or rough terrain that is still very much a car in size and the way it drives, this Subaru does not really have any direct rivals. The interior quality is decent, there are a lot of safety features included, equipment is quite generous and the car is relatively spacious for a car of this size. But the Subaru’s weak point is the engine, which really does spoil things. The larger 2.5 unit that you find in the Forester and Outback is not that impressive either, but the one here really is outclassed. Thrashy, noisy, underpowered and lacking mid-range torque it could be the reason why you would look elsewhere and that is a shame, as I would like to recommend a car which still dares to be different. The absence of a decent engine is probably one reason why Subaru sales are so poor in most of Europe, and this has been a problem for years that Subaru have simply not addressed. What a shame.